Voice of controversy

Right-wing speaker will come to campus in January

LMU will soon welcome the voice behind arguably the most feisty Barbie doll ever made. This January political commentator and outspoken conservative Ann Coulter will speak on campus in the Loyolan's fourth annual First Amendment Week.

Coulter signed on to speak last Wednesday, Nov. 23. First Amendment Week will be held Jan. 16 to 19, with Coulter speaking in Burns Back Court on Jan. 19 at 7:30 p.m. The Loyolan is in the process of recruiting a liberal speaker for the same event.

Dr. Evan Gerstmann, the chair of the Political Science Department, spoke at the Loyolan's inaugural First Amendment Week in 2003.

"The First Amendment is at the core of any university's mission. Without the right to speak one's mind openly and to hear unfamiliar ideas, we don't learn and grow as people."

Gerstmann described Coulter as a "polarizing figure."

"I view her as having a detrimental impact on public discourse," he said. "She is often dishonest in her rhetoric and chooses to attack opposing ideas in the most extreme terms rather than look for common ground."

Loyolan Managing Editor Natalie Nordseth arranged Coulter's visit.

"We chose Ann Coulter because we knew she'd get people's attention," she said. "Coulter's speech will help remind the student body what the First Amendment allows, and I hope that it will encourage students to really think about their rights."

Coulter has written four New York Times Booklist bestsellers, most recently "How to Talk to a Liberal (If You Must)." Coulter currently writes a weekly column for Universal Press Syndicate. She has made guest appearances on a variety of television shows, from "Wolf Blitzer Reports" to "The O'Reilly Factor," and has been profiled in Harper's Bazaar and Elle magazines.

Tres Lillard, a junior communications major, is a big fan of Coulter. "I'm excited," Lillard said. "She's a blast to watch, she's really witty she's become the big mouth for the Republican Party, which is something we haven't had for a while."

Coulter has a reputation for being a divisive public speaker. In October 2004, two University of Arizona students threw pies at Coulter while she was giving a speech in front of 2,500 people at the university. The men missed Coulter, but were arrested and spent the night in the Pima County Jail. According to the Daily Wildcat student newspaper, a student group known as "Al Pieda" claimed responsibility.

In a column after the incident, Coulter said, "Fortunately for me, liberals not only argue like liberals, they also throw like girls."

Murphy said that the Loyolan's First Amendment Week was made possible due to the "overwhelming success of our business staff" and the "cooperation and support of Student Affairs."

Even some of Coulter's employers have had trouble with her strong words. MSNBC fired Coulter after she told a disabled Vietnam War veteran, "People like you caused us to lose that war." She was also let go from the conservative online magazine National Review in October 2001 when she gave this suggestion on how to deal with Muslim terrorists: "We should invade their countries, kill their leaders and convert them to Christianity."

A letter to readers on the magazine's Web site maintains, "It was Ann who decided to sever her ties with National Review-not the other way around." USA Today hired Coulter in 2004 to provide commentary from the Democratic National Convention in Boston, but later rejected her column, entitled "Spawn of Satan Convention."

Coulter attended Cornell University and University of Michigan Law School, where she received her J.D. and served as an editor of the Michigan Law Review. She lives in New York City.

First Amendment Week brings prominent voices

The week of activities aims to raise awareness on campus.

The wait is over. Students longing to hear the voices of two controversial political commentators will have their chance tomorrow when Republican Ann Coulter and Democrat James Carville speak on campus as part of the Loyolan's fourth annual First Amendment Week.

First Amendment Week kicked off yesterday with an event in the Lair during convocation hour that featured a video of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech. Today at 5 p.m., the Loyolan will host an open forum in the Living Room to discuss the newspaper's strengths and weaknesses.

?"We wanted students to have the opportunity to criticize the newspaper so that we can continue to improve," said Stephen A. Murphy, the Loyolan's editor in chief. "This is everyone's newspaper, so we want to hear as much input as possible."

Journalists have long valued the First Amendment, which among other things forbids the United States government from infringing on freedom of speech and freedom of the press.

First Amendment Week was first held during the 2002-2003 school year and was not without controversy. Larry Flynt, the founder of Hustler magazine and head of Larry Flynt Publications, had accepted an invitation from the Loyolan to discuss freedom of speech. In a move that many saw as ironic, the administration barred Flynt from coming to campus, saying his message was not in line with the university's mission. The decision marked the first time Flynt had ever been denied the opportunity to speak at a university.

The main event this week will feature speeches by Coulter and Carville. It will be held tomorrow night at 6 p.m. in Burns Back Court. For more information on the two speakers, see the special First Amendment Week insert in this week's issue.

Why Ann Coulter? If you take out the polemical rhetorical barbs, her columns are nothing more than Republican talking points.

I don't get what the fascination is with her. She's certainly not the most articulate spokesman the conservatives have. I've seen her "debate" Janet Reno - and Janet Reno cleaned the floor with her! Janet Reno!

8
posted on 01/18/2006 6:21:43 PM PST
by jude24
("Thy law is written on the hearts of men, which iniquity itself effaces not." - St. Augustine)

Catty, bitchy, blatantly sexist, and self-hating anti-female derogatory comments are not a sign of journalistic expertise...in the real world. Let me guess Rachel... you are either a liberal and/or a lesbian. What I don't have to guess about it your intellect.

"I view her as having a detrimental impact on public discourse," he said. "She is often dishonest in her rhetoric and chooses to attack opposing ideas in the most extreme terms rather than look for common ground."

"We chose Ann Coulter because we knew she'd get people's attention," she (Loyolan Managing Editor Natalie Nordseth) said. "Coulter's speech will help remind the student body what the First Amendment allows, and I hope that it will encourage students to really think about their rights."

I eagerly await the announcement of President Bush's real nominee to the Supreme Court. If the president meant Harriet Miers seriously, I have to assume Bush wants to go back to Crawford and let Dick Cheney run the country.

Unfortunately for Bush, he could nominate his Scottish terrier Barney, and some conservatives would rush to defend him, claiming to be in possession of secret information convincing them that the pooch is a true conservative and listing Barney's many virtues  loyalty, courage, never jumps on the furniture ...

Harriet Miers went to Southern Methodist University Law School, which is not ranked at all by the serious law school reports and ranked No. 52 by US News and World Report. Her greatest legal accomplishment is being the first woman commissioner of the Texas Lottery.

I know conservatives have been trained to hate people who went to elite universities, and generally that's a good rule of thumb. But not when it comes to the Supreme Court.

First, Bush has no right to say "Trust me." He was elected to represent the American people, not to be dictator for eight years. Among the coalitions that elected Bush are people who have been laboring in the trenches for a quarter-century to change the legal order in America. While Bush was still boozing it up in the early '80s, Ed Meese, Antonin Scalia, Robert Bork and all the founders of the Federalist Society began creating a farm team of massive legal talent on the right...

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Please let us all know how it goes. I'm mad it's not for the general public. I'd pay to see Ann.I hope you guys that are lucky enough to attend tomorrow all have Annes back. Gotta watch out for those evil pie throwers.

Did you notice how this report about Ann's visit is written in a tone reminiscent of how the ACLU explains itself when it goes to court to defend marches by Illinois Nazis?

"Even Illinois Nazis have the First Amendment right to freedom of speech." "Even Ann Coulter has the First Amendment right to freedom of speech."

Loyolan Managing Editor Natalie Nordseth arranged Coulter's visit. "We chose Ann Coulter because we knew she'd get people's attention," she said. "Coulter's speech will help remind the student body what the First Amendment allows, and I hope that it will encourage students to really think about their rights."

And I suppose her report is about as fair as Ann's ever going to get in a college rag. Still, the out-of-context quotes and Rachel's attacking the story from the angle that Ann is "offensive" bothers me a little.

But hey, Ann can definitely take care of herself and I won't lose any sleep! I'm already looking forward to the after action reports.

Even some of Coulter's employers have had trouble with her strong words. MSNBC fired Coulter after she told a disabled Vietnam War veteran, "People like you caused us to lose that war."

Good Grief! I didn't see or hear of this, but let me guess. The disabled veteran was an outspoken critic of the War on Terror, and seeked to undermined America's effort to win. The undermining our effort to win was the point of Coulter's remark, not that he was a disabled veteran.

Hey Rachel, if I'm wrong, I pledge seek out and read any/all forthcoming articles that you author. If I'm right, you quit journalism and seek an occupation where thoroughness is not a requirement. Like, say, an advisor for the Democrat Party.

The disabled veteran was an outspoken critic of the War on Terror, and seeked to undermined America's effort to win...

You are CLOSE. :o)

This particular "urban legend" about Ann referred to a traitor from a PREVIOUS war, the one in VIETNAM.

Here is the REAL story, from Ann's interview in that mouthpiece of the "vast right wing" conspirators (!) TIME magazine:

...MSNBC found Coulter "blunt, rude and just completely over the top," says Stephen Lewis, a former MSNBC producer involved in Coulters hiringand firing. The network dismissed her at least twice: first in February 1997, after she insulted the late Pamela Harriman, the U.S. Ambassador to France, even as the network was covering her somber memorial service. Coulter said Harriman was one of those women who "used men to work their way up" and suggested "Sharon Stone or Madonna" as her replacement. Even so, the network missed Coulters jousting and quickly rehired her.

Eight months later, Coulters relationship with MSNBC ended permanently after she tangled with a disabled Vietnam veteran on the air. Robert Muller, co-founder of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, asserted that "in 90% of the cases that U.S. soldiers got blown up [in Vietnam]Ann, are you listening?they were our own mines." (Muller was misquoting a 1969 Pentagon report that found that 90% of the components used in enemy mines came from U.S. duds and refuse.)

Coulter, who found Mullers statement laughable, averted her eyes and responded sarcastically: "No wonder you guys lost." It became an infamousand oft-misreportedCoulter moment. The Washington Post and others turned the line into a more personal attack: "People like you caused us to lose that war..."

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